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Washington Post: D.C. statehood measure approved for November ballot
A ballot referendum to split the nation’s capital into a new state for its residents and a smaller, federal district for government buildings and monuments is headed to D.C. voters in November.
The D.C. Council unanimously approved the referendum proposed by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) on Tuesday, saying that, if approved, it could help pressure Congress to hold the first vote in more than two decades to allow D.C. residents to form the 51st state.
In backing the plan, however, the council brushed aside criticism from statehood advocates who felt that D.C. residents should have more say in drafting a constitution for the would-be state. A final vote on the founding document, which voters would be asked to “approve,” would not be taken by the D.C. Council until after the November election.
Obama Pushes for D.C. Voting Rights
President Obama called Friday for Congress to pass legislation giving voting representation to residents of the nation’s capital.
The House Democratic leader, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, plans to bring the measure, called the D.C. Voting Rights Act, to the floor next week for a vote.
In a two-paragraph statement, Mr. Obama noted that April 16, 1862 was the day President Lincoln freed enslaved people in Washington D.C. – nine months before he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, a copy of which now hangs in the Oval Office…
Senate Passes D.C. Voting Rights Bill, 61-37
By a vote of 61-37, the Senate passed a bill providing full voting representation for the nation’s capital in the House of Representatives, nearly ensuring that the measure will become law this time around. While advocates were declaring victory already, a court fight almost definitely looms over the constitutionality of giving the District of Columbia voting privileges in the House that are akin to those of the 50 states…
Let’s Settle This Once and for All: D.C. Statehood Is Constitutional. Period
On April 16th, D.C.-based voting rights activists plan to meet with Congressional offices to encourage support for D.C. statehood. Statehood advocates are calling on Congress to cosponsor, hold hearings on, and vote for the New Columbia Admission Act — legislation that would grant full citizenship rights to the disenfranchised residents of Washington, D.C.
In anticipation of Wednesday’s lobby day on the Hill, I feel compelled to go on record about the constitutionality of statehood for the citizens of D.C. That D.C. statehood is unconstitutional is the single most common misconception I hear when discussing D.C. governance with Congressional staff and opponents of D.C. voting rights generally. So let me be absolutely clear on this issue:
Statehood for the residents of D.C. is Constitutional…
Clinton Applauds Passage of DC Voting Rights Act
Following is a statement released today by Senator Hillary Clinton:
“Giving the 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia their fair representation in Congress is long overdue. It is why I applaud the House of Representatives for finally passing the DC Voting Rights Act today. Our nation was born out of a struggle against taxation without representation. And yet, even as we endeavor to promote democracy around the world, it is shameful that we deny our own American citizens who live in the District the right to voting representation in Congress. This injustice tarnishes our democracy as a whole. The right to be represented in the national legislature is fundamental to our core American values.
“I hope the Senate will act swiftly to pass the DC Voting Rights Act and that the President will not delay in signing this long overdue legislation into law.”…
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